A moving tale in part about a topic I was unfamiliar with - the displacement of orphans to Australia during WWII. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

Many people risked their lives to help bring the Nazis down. It wasn't just the native people whose land they inhabited. A large number from unoccupied countries went in as spies to help the resistance and the Allied forces. This is the story of a British woman with French blood who returns to the country to fight those who took her loved ones from her. 
The novel starts with Madeline attending school in France and meeting the young man who steals her heart. As we learn of her attachment to France and her family dynamics, we are eventually taken to a Europe that feels the threat of Hitler. When life hits her with extreme blows, she decides to do her part in brining down Hitler and kick him out of France. She becomes a spy and walks into the lion's den to face the enemy that is everywhere. 
I found the story to be a little slow at first, but as I continued reading, it became apparent that it would be important later as we watch Madeline venture into the war zone. The pace of the story picks up as she is trained as a spy and then sneaks into the country. The dangers she face is not glossed-over. We see her as she faces her fears and those who could kill her in a moment. 
Most of the story is not intense, but there are plenty of moments that have you on the edge of your seat as you wonder what will happen next. The emotional development of the main character also captivates the reader as we share with her the exhilaration of success and the heartbreak of loss. This is a story that will have you wondering about the real events so much of the book is based on. It is a story that will get your curiosity moving. 
Find a new favorite author in Rhys Bowen. I've read several of books and will be reading even more. Easy flow of words that have you transported to whole new worlds.

Rhys Bowen has such a good voice and has really cornered the market with her historical fiction. I really enjoyed this one and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

I thought I wouldn't read another WWII story again, however, I couldn't resist this novel when I saw it was written by Rhys Bowen (one of my favorite). An engrossing story about a family that becomes involved in espionage when Germany invades France. A French man, who stays and works with the Resistance, and his part-French wife, who trains in England to infiltrate France to aid the English. Another excellent page turner.

A perfectly serviceable WWII women's fiction novel. Nothing to write about, I'm sure the people who love this genre will be fine with this.

It took a long bit to get into the meat of this book but it was a great read. A unique situation with a great storyline!

Previously, I had only read Rhys Bowen's historical mystery series, the Royal Spyness, but I was excited to read her new historical fiction novel, The Paris Assignment. I found this book to a good example of a WWII historical fiction showcasing the experience of both those living in France and England during the war.

Madeline Grant is half-French & half- English student at the Sorbonne in 1931 Paris. She falls in love with fellow student Giles and builds a life in Paris in the years before the war. As the war begins, she is England with her young son and Giles is a French resistance worker. Madeline sees unspeakable tragedy, which leads her to also join the resistance.

I cannot say this book was easy-to-read. As a mother, I had to step away at times as the characters' lived experiences were emotional to read. But, I found the book to be fast-moving and realistic. While, I don't think there is a happy ending to the book, I did find the ending satisfying while still believable. Besides Madeline, there is a large cast of brave and strong female characters that I enjoyed seeing develop.

Thank you Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. I will post reviews on post this review on Goodreads, Bookbub, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC!
Rhys Bowen did not disappoint with this historical fiction. The book had me glued to it and absolutely loved all the characters and especially the protagonist. Her strength and courage throughout everything thrown at her is remarkable. Knowing that this happened throughout the 2nd World War and the atrocities that people had to endure, this book showed the resilient side of the people and the will and courage to fight back with whatever they could.
The storyline is beautiful and leaves the reader wanting to know more of what is happening. It has a good clodeout and ending, not leaving anyone hanging and wondering what will happen or what happened to certain people.
Amazing book and as I always have, giving Rhys Bowen yet another 5 🌟 review!

Rhys Bowen chooses a standalone novel about World War II in the Paris Assignment. Madeleine Grant marries a French journalist and they have a son. Then World War II sends her husband to the Resistance and her son Oliver goes missing according to reports. Actually Oliver is shipped to Australia where he survives in miserable conditions with nuns her husband is killed. Madeleine is sent undercover to France. Will mother and son be reunited?

I’m typically a big fan of WWII stories, but this one was rather disappointing for me. Throughout the whole book, it seemed that the protagonists simply had no distinctive personality. None of their relationships felt real. I was never really immersed in the story, even though the historical elements were rich and varied.

This is the first book by Rhys Bowen that I’ve read, and I guess my expectations were higher. Everything is clearly well-researched, but I didn’t feel connected to the story or the characters.

The pacing in the first 20% of the book felt odd to me—the timeline was oddly fast-paced and did a lot of telling instead of showing. And after the first 20%, the pacing was better (until the last 15%), but the story just went downhill—the characters’ situations got worse and worse to the point that I just wanted to give up. I get it. War is messy, and WWII was particularly devastating. But I found it hard to root for Madeline and Olivier because they had pretty much given up on themselves too. I would have DNF’d except that I really hate leaving books unfinished.

While the story did have a happy ending, I did not enjoy the experience of reading this book. I may try reading something by Rhys Bowen in the future. We will see.

Madeline is young when she meets Gil at university in Paris. They soon fall in love and deal with an unexpected baby. They are overjoyed and they manage. Soon France in under siege by the Germans and Gil asks Madeline to take their son Oliver and go to England where they'll be safe with Madelines father. While over in England, she is told to send Oliver to the country with his school.for protection but due to a silly error, Oliver is thought to be the wrong person and when a bombing happens on the train, Madeline is told that Oliver is dead. She then decides she wants revenge on the Nazis and enlists for spy duty. She quickly realizes it is harder than she first thought.
This story was filled with action, suspense, heartbreak and intrigue. It has it all and I loved every moment of it. It was a true depiction of what war was like and how it affected families. I loved that the author really went there. She wasn't afraid to make the reader gasp. Rhys Bowen is an author I've read before and one ill keep reading.

The Paris Assignment
Author Rhys Bowen
Available now!

Thank you, @getredpr, #lakeunionpublishing, @netgalley, and @authorrhysbowen, for my #gifted e- arc of this gorgeous historical fiction novel!

A Paris Assignment is a WWII story with a strong female protagonist on a mission not only to save her family but also to save her country. Filled with hope, love, and redemption, this powerful story grabs you from the start until its tearful ending.

Beginning in London, where Madeline meets her husband, Giles, then to France, where he sends she and their son Olivier to apparent safety from the Resistance, Bowen takes her readers through the unpredictable and harrowing times of war and makes your question all you thought you might do when faced with such unimaginable questions.

Believing she is providing the utmost safety for her son, the train he was on to the countryside was bombed, and there is no evidence to his whereabouts. Shattered, Madeline accepts a request from the French ministry to distract her broken heart and seen revenge against the Nazis.

Against all odds and twists of fate, Madeline perseveres in her fight as it takes her to unexpected and new places, meeting new people, and seeking a safe future for herself with her family close to her heart.

Exciting story of a young woman with nothing to lose, or so she believes, as she throws herself into a spy network in WWII France. It was a bit of a slow start, but I enjoyed the background of the female spies' training before they headed into the field.. Her son's story is an interesting look at orphans' experiences in Australia, although the mistaken identity trope irritated a little. Overall, it's another great book for Rhys Bowen fans and readers of semi-cozy historical fiction.

I loved this so much! It was such an interesting and well written story. I haven't read anything by Rhys Bowen, but I definitely will now! The characters were so well written and I was heartbroken and surprised by all the twists and turns! I had never learned about the orphan farms in Australia, and have done some additional research now. This was just such a beautiful story, I couldn't put it down! I have read lots of WWII Historical fiction, and this story felt new and different.

If you're a fan of Historical Fiction or WWII Fiction, this one is definitely for you!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy to read

Rhys Bowen’s latest novel brings the conflict and tension of World War II France to life. Following British Madeleine Grant, her son Olivier Martin, and her French husband Giles Martin from her college years at the Sorbonne to the thick of World War II, Bowen brings the German occupation of France, British intelligence’s recruitment of French and French-speaking women, and the growth of French resistance to life in the forefront of the novel. Bowen’s characters, of course, are spectacularly developed, realistic, and vibrant, and the perspective shifts between Madeleine and Olivier emphasize the scale and scope of the war and how it affected so many individuals. Bowen’s settings are critical to the novel, from the Sorbonne to England and back to France, and the characters live and breathe across the pages in England, France, and Australia. Bowen highlights the stakes and tensions of intelligence work in German-occupied France, and she also brings the intensity of SOE training to life. Bowen’s narrative is powerful, emotional, and incredibly immersive, drawing readers into the story and into Madeleine, Olivier, and Giles’ lives, experiences, and struggles. Every page of The Paris Assignment is fascinating, compelling, and engaging, making this an incredible historical fiction novel.

Londoner Madeleine Grant is studying at the Sorbonne in Paris when she marries charismatic French journalist Giles Martin. As they raise their son, Olivier, they hold on to a tenuous promise for the future. Until the thunder of war sets off alarms in France.

Staying behind to join the resistance, Giles sends Madeleine and Olivier to the relative safety of England, where Madeleine secures a job teaching French at a secondary school. Yet nowhere is safe. After a devastating twist of fate resulting in the loss of her son, Madeleine accepts a request from the ministry to aid in the war effort. Seizing the smallest glimmer of hope of finding Giles alive, she returns to France. If Madeleine can stop just one Nazi, it will be the start of a valiant path of revenge.

Though her perseverance, defiance, and heart will be tested beyond imagining, no risk is too great for a brave wife and mother determined to fight and survive against inconceivable odds.

Normally historical fiction isn't really my jam, but this story made me a believer. I enjoyed it from start to finish. Will recommend to others.

I enjoyed this very Interesting book set in WW2. Spies, secret agents and alot of tension, this book had it all. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Madelaine is in Paris doing her semester abroad at The Sorbonne when she meets the charismatic Giles. He warns her when they first meet that she shouldn't fall in love with her. But of course, they fall in love. While it isn't without its rocky moments, they live a good life until Hitler invades France.

I discovered Rhys Bowen a few years ago when I started reading her Royal Spyness cozy mystery series. It's my favorite, but I do enjoy her stand-alone historical fiction stories.

The Paris Assignment is an entertaining read. I read quite a bit of WWII fiction and I would place this novel more on the end of historical romance rather than the historical/biographical fiction end. But there is some historically accurate information that was somewhat new to me.

I really liked seeing the spy training. If you've read any of the novels based on real-life female spies such as Code Name Helene. You saw a little bit of the training. In that book, it was mostly the physical training. In The Paris Assignment, we see more extensive training in radio operations and at least mentions of munitions training.

I liked Madelaine, but I don't think there was enough depth to her character. Also, it bothered me how easily she told people about who she was and what she did in the war. The Official Secrets Act was only lifted in recent years which is why we are starting to hear more stories about the important (and dangerous) roles women played during WWII. These women never said a word about their works - many of them dying with their families never knowing their true heroism. But for Madelaine it was like if she fancied a man and he was sort of in her line of work then it was okay to tell them her true identity (during the war) and that she was a spy.

A few books have come out recently that focused on the evacuation of children but they usually stay in the countryside of England even though there were ships of children sent to Canada and Australia. I liked getting to see what happened to the children who were shipped to Australia in The Paris Assignment.

I don't know if it was because I read so much WWII fiction, but I found some of the plot predictable and a little too coincidental. Some of the plot points were wrapped up a little too neatly. But the story isn't without its tragic moments - there is a war after all. But I didn't feel the devastation of these losses.

If you are looking for a lighter WWII novel, then you should pick up this book.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Thursday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/08/the-paris-assignment-by-rhys-bowen.html

The Paris Assignment is both a heartbreaking and heartwarming story. In this book we get to know Madeleine’s story before, during and after the war and how it affected her life and family.
I just recently started reading stories about spies during the war and it was very interesting to read about this part of Madeleine’s life. However, it was a bit extensive and it took me more than I expected to read it.
The part that was the hardest was Olivier’s. I was so angry about everything happening to him, it broke my heart. I felt really invested in his part of the story, perhaps because my mother was an orphan and it was to read how he struggled and how it was treated.
In the end, I liked how things worked out and I believe it is the ending it deserved. This was my first-time reading Bowen’s books and I must say it captivated me and I really enjoyed. I will definitely read more of her books.

This is a book that centres on World War II and I cannot help but feel a little saturated on this topic. The main character is Madeleine, a young English woman whose French mother passed away when she was still a child. Madeleine visits Paris to complete a semester at the Sorbonne and improve her French. While there, she meets Giles who makes her promise to return to complete her studies.
To cut through, WWII occurs and because of her French, Madeleine having fled France is appealing to the English military as a potential spy. Can she build the courage to re-enter a war ravaged France and report back on German activities?
The story is long, and while parts were quite intriguing, at times it felt too long and bogged down in details. While I did enjoy the story enough to finish it, it felt too similar to other books set in this era.
Thank you Netgalley and Lake Union Press for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.